Bahrainis stranded in Qatar plead for help

A renewed appeal for evacuation has gone out by Bahrainis who have been stranded in Qatar since the Covid-19 outbreak.

Tens of Bahrainis, who have been stuck in Qatar for months, have appealed to authorities for their urgent return home to be reunited with their families.

It comes as the GDN reported on Friday that several Bahrainis were denied entry on board Qatar Airways flights while others said their scheduled flights to Oman were postponed indefinitely.

Sources at Salam Air told the GDN that enquiries were received from around 50 to 80 Bahrainis requesting to leave Qatar via Muscat.

One of the Bahrainis, Essa Hamad, said he feared losing his job in Bahrain and has been stuck in Qatar with rising expenses.

“Our situation here is horrible and bleak, with no solution in sight and we just want to get home to our families,” the 28-year-old told the GDN.

“I’m a fisherman and I was arrested by the Qatari Coastguard on the edge of international waters with Qatar because my engine broke down.

“I was jailed for around two months and once the case was settled in court I paid my fines.

“We just want to get home to our families, our situation here is dire.”

The GDN previously reported on a 43-year-old senior financial official who has been stranded in Doha and is quickly running out of money.

He purchased airline tickets from Qatar Airways, via London, worth BD2,000 in order to return to Bahrain last week, but when he arrived at Hamad International Airport he was told there were ‘orders from authorities’ not to allow Bahraini nationals onboard Qatar Airways flights.

RESIGN

The Bahraini had resigned from his post, sold his belongings and cleared his financial commitments in order to return home.

“I urgently appeal to authorities in Bahrain to arrange a special flight by Gulf Air or Salam Air to bring back all the Bahrainis who are stuck in Doha,” he told the GDN.

“Almost 80 to 90 people have booked on Salam Air to come back home but due to some approvals in Muscat the flights keep getting delayed.

“We please ask the authorities to issue a special approval for all Bahrainis stuck in Doha to even travel by Qatar Airways and exit Doha because we just want to come home.”

The GDN has contacted the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Bahrain’s Embassy in Oman for a comment.

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